The Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory

1
The Deep Underground Science and Engineering
Laboratory
Bernard Sadoulet Dept. of Physics /LBNL UC
Berkeley UC Institute for Nuclear and
Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (INPAC)

• History and process
• The science
• Infrastructure requirement
• Implementation

2
The DUSEL Process

• Motivations
• Early 1980s first investigation (Nevada, San
  Jancinto)
• 2000 Renewed interest in a US Deep Underground
  Science Laboratory
• Rapid expansion of Nuclear and Particle
  Astrophysics
• Potential availability of Homestake on a short
  time scale
• Strong scientific support. A number of reports.
• Recent realization that such a facility would
  bring tremendous opportunities to earth sciences,
  biology and engineering DUSEL
• March 2004 New process put in place by NSF
• Solicitation 1 Community wide study of
• Scientific roadmap from Nuclear/Particle/Astro
  Physics to Geo Physics/Chemistry/Microbiology/Engi
  neering
• Generic infrastructure requirements
• Solicitation 2 Pre-selection of 3-5 sites
• Proposals due February 28 2005
• Solicitation 3
• Selection of initial site(s)

3
Site Independent Goals

• The best scientific case for DUSEL
• The big questions
• Roadmaps of class A experiments
• Long term needs
• Implementation parameters
• Infrastructure requirements
•  Modules (set of experiments sharing same
  infrastructure needs)
• Generic management structure
• Integration of science and education and
  involvement of local population
• International context
• Identify strategic aspects of a U.S. facility
• Estimation of the space needs for first two
  decades
• gtBuild up common language, consensus and
  synergies
• clearly happening already (3 workshops)
• Deliverables by summer 05
• Printed report directed at generalists
• Agencies
• OMB/OSTP/Congress cf. Quantum Universe

4
Process

• 6 PIs responsible for the study
• in particular scientific quality/ objectivity
• Bernard Sadoulet, UC Berkeley, Astrophysics/Cosmol
  ogy
• Hamish Robertson, U. Washington, Nuclear Physics
• Eugene Beie,r U. of Pennsylvania, Particle
  Physics
• Charles Fairhurst, U. of Minnesota,
  geology/engineering
• Tullis Onstott, Princeton, geomicrobiology
• James Tiedje, Michigan State, microbiology
• 14 working groups Workshops
• Infrastructure requirements/management
• Education and outreach
• 2 consultation groups
• The site consultation group (Solicitation 2
  sites)
• Endorsement of the PIs and general approach
• Input on scientific/technical questions important
  to the sites
• Competition between sites
• The initiative coordination group major
  stakeholders (e.g. National Labs)
• Coordination with other major initiatives
• Major facilitator of involvement of other
  agencies

5
Status/Plans See www.dusel.org

• 3 workshops
• Berkeley Aug 04 mutual discovery of Physics and
  Earth Sciences
• Blacksburg Nov 04 big questions in Earth
  Sciences
• Boulder Jan 05 fundamental biology,
  international aspects
• common language, modules, schedule
• Methodology
• Infrastructure matrices
• Survey of the demand for DUSEL 1st decade and 2nd
  decade
• Rescaling for likely evolution of community and
  budgets
• Start real work from working groups after Feb 28
• Final workshop in DC area July 15
• General discussion of a draft of overall report
• Information of agency people
• August-September
• Convergence on wording
• External review
• Glossy report fall 05

6
Major Questions in Physics (1)

• What are the properties of the neutrinos?
• Are neutrinos their own antiparticle? The answer
  to this question is a key ingredient in the
  formulation of a new Standard Model'', and can
  only be obtained by the study of neutrinoless
  double beta decay.
• What is the remaining, and presently unknown,
  mixing angle q13 between neutrino mass
  eigenstates?
• What is the hierarchy of masses?
• Is there significant violation of the CP symmetry
  among the neutrinos?

7
Double beta decay

• Many new experiments gearing up to test this
  claim and go beyond it
• Major US efforts
• Majorana expt- 500 kg Ge76 (86)
• EXO - 1-ton LXe TPC

Majorana Experiment
8
Major Questions in Physics (1)

• What are the properties of the neutrinos?
• Are neutrinos their own antiparticle? The answer
  to this question is a key ingredient in the
  formulation of a new Standard Model'', and can
  only be obtained by the study of neutrinoless
  double beta decay.
• What is the remaining, and presently unknown,
  mixing angle q13 between neutrino mass
  eigenstates?
• What is the hierarchy of masses?
• Is there significant violation of the CP symmetry
  among the neutrinos?
• Do protons decay?
• It is expected that baryonic matter is unstable
  at some level and the lifetime for proton decay
  is a hallmark of theories beyond the Standard
  Model.
• These questions relate immediately to the
  completion of our understanding of particle and
  nuclear physics, and to the mystery of why the
  universe contains much more matter than
  antimatter.

9
Nucleon decay long-baseline ?
LANNDD - Liquid Argon Neutrino and Nucleon Decay
Detector

• Large multipurpose detectors
• Long-baseline neutrinos
• Proton decay
• Supernova observatory

UNO 20 SuperK (fid.)
Water cherenkov
10
Major Questions in Physics (2)

• What is the nature of the dark matter in the
  universe?
• Is it comprised of weakly interacting massive
  particles (WIMPs) of a type not presently known,
  but predicted by theories such as Supersymmetry?
• Goal observe both in the cosmos and the
  laboratory (LHC,ILC)
• .

11
Large mass WIMP detectors

• Cryogenic Detectors
• CDMS II, EDELWEISS II, CRESST II
• Similar reach with complementary
• assets
• Xenon
• Low pressure TPC

12
Major Questions in Physics (2)

• What is the nature of the dark matter in the
  universe?
• Is it comprised of weakly interacting massive
  particles (WIMPs) of a type not presently known,
  but predicted by theories such as Supersymmetry?
• Goal observe both in the cosmos and the
  laboratory (LHC,ILC)
• .
• What is the low-energy spectrum of neutrinos from
  the sun?
• Solar neutrinos have been important in providing
  new information not only about the sun but also
  about the fundamental properties of neutrinos.

13
Solar neutrinos

• Possible future US Program
• Heron - rotons in LHe
• Clean - scintillation in LNe
• LENS - liquid scintillator

14
Physics needs low cosmic-ray rates
15
Subsurface Geoscience

• How are the Underground Processes Changing the
  Earth
• How does the rock flows and cracks at depth?
• Fundamental Processes at Depth
• How are the coupled Hydro-Thermal-Mechanical-Chemi
  cal-Biological (HTMCB) processes in fractured
  rock masses vary as function of the physical and
  time scales involved. Cannot be done in
  laboratory!
• Transparent Earth
• Can progress in geophysical sensing methods and
  computational advances be applied to make the
  earth transparent, i.e. to see real-time
  interaction of processes and their consequences
  in the solid earth?
• Relationships between surface measurements and
  subsurface deformations and stresses
• How does the Earth Crust Move?
• What controls the onset and propagation of
  seismic slip on a fault?
• How are surface deformations and stresses related
  to their subsurface counterparts, and to tectonic
  plate motions?
• Can earthquake slip be predicted can it be
  controlled?
• Need for long term access as deep as possible
• Observatories in particular at largest depth
• Laboratories where we can act on the rock

16
Rock Mass Strength-Unknown
17
Correlation Surface -Underground
18
Induced Fracture Processes Laboratory

• Evaluate and refine models of fracture initiation
  and propagation
• Resource recovery
• CO2 sequestration
• Waste isolation
• Examine effects on proximal fluid flow and
  transport including proppants
• Wellbore interaction effects
• Pressure solution in fractures
• Examine roles of different propellants
• Examine roles of fractures in bacterial
  colonization
• Examine the long-term stability and durability of
  underground openings

http//www.earthlab.org/
Courtesy of Derek Ellsworth
19
Deep Coupled Processes Laboratory

• Characterize coupled-processes that affect
  critical environmental engineering, and complex
  subsurface Earth processes
• CO2 sequestration
• Waste isolation
• In situ mining
• Mineralization and ore body formation
• Characterize coupled processes under ambient
  conditions
• Chemical fate and transport including
  dissolution/precipitation and modification of
  mechanical and transport parameters
• Multiphase flow and transport
• Microbial colonization

http//www.earthlab.org/
Courtesy of Derek Ellsworth
20
Subsurface GeoEngineering

• Importance for a number of applications
• groundwater flow
• contaminant transport
• long-term isolation of hazardous and toxic
  wastes, carbon sequestration and hydrocarbon
  storage underground
• ore forming processes
• energetic slip on faults and fractures stability
  of underground excavations
• Mastery of the rock
• What are the limits to large stable excavations
  at depth?
• Currently
• Petroleum boreholes 0.1m Ø. at 10km
• Mine shafts 5m Ø at 4km.
• DUSEL physics excavations 10-40m Ø at
  1-3km
• Resources
• Origin
• Discovery

Need for long term access as deep as
possible DUSEL nearly unique in the world
21
What will we need to do better in 20 years?Grand
Challenges..

• Resource Recovery
• Locate resource
• Access quickly and at low cost
• Recover 100 resource at chosen timescale
• No negative environmental effect
•  Waste Containment/Disposal
• Characterize host at high resolution
• Access and inter quickly at low cost
• Inter completely or define fugitive concentration
  
• output with time
• Underground Construction
• Characterize inexpensively at high resolution
• Excavate quickly and inexpensively
• Provide minimum support for maximum design life

Courtesy of Derek Ellsworth
22
Major Questions in Geomicrobiology

• How does the interplay between biology and
  geology shape the subsurface? Role of microbes in
  HTMCB
• How deeply does life extend into the Earth?
• What are the lower limits of life in the
  biosphere? What is the temperature barrier, the
  influence of pressure, the interplay of energy
  restrictions with the above? The subsurface
  biomass may be the most extensive on earth but
  samples so far are too few.
• What fuels the deep biosphere?
• Do deep microbial ecosystems exist that are
  dependent upon geochemically generated energy
  sources ("geogas" H2, CH4, etc.) and independent
  from photosynthesis. How do such systems
  function, their members interact to sustain the
  livelihood?
• Need for long term access as deep as possible
• In many cases need horizontal probes
  (pressure)
• Deeper bores

23
Variation of Life with Depth
Cells/ml or Cells/g
107
105
103
101
0
1
2
Depth (km)
3
4
?
5
S. African data Onstott et al. 1998
6
Fig. 2 of Earthlab report
24
Major Questions in Biology

• What can we learn on evolution and genome
  dynamics?
• Microbes may have been isolated from the surface
  gene pool for very long periods of time. Can we
  observe ancient life?
• How different are this dark life from microbes on
  the surface? Unexpected and biotechnologically
  useful enzymes?
• How do they evolve with very low population
  density, extremely low metabolism rate and high
  longevity? Role of Phages
• Did life on the earth's surface come from
  underground?
• Does the deep subsurface harbor primitive life
  processes today?
• Has the subsurface acted as refuge during
  extinctions.
• What "signs of subsurface life" should we search
  for on Mars?
• Is there dark life as we don't know it?
• Does unique biochemistry, e.g. non-nucleic acid
  based, and molecular signatures exist in isolated
  subsurface niches?
• Requires systematic sampling at various depths
• Attention to contamination issues
• Long term observation in their own environment

25
Answers require DUSEL (1)

• Very Deep 6000 mwe (meters water equivalent,
  about the same as feet of rock)
• Double beta decay
• Solar neutrinos
• Dark matter detectors (may be 4000 mwe)
• Construction technology for deep waste
  sequestration
• Monitor and relate surface deformations and
  stresses to their subsurface counterparts.
• Determine processes controlling maximum depth of
  subsurface biosphere and perhaps discover life
  not as we know it.
• Access to high ambient temperature and stress
  similar to seismogenic zone for in situ HTCMB
  experiments.
• Intermediate depths automatic
• Some solar neutrinos
• Radioactive screening/prototyping
• Fabrication Assembly area
• Construction technology for modest depth
  applications
• Monitor and relate surface deformations and
  stresses to their subsurface counterparts.

26
Answers require DUSEL (2)

• Very Large Caverns (1,000,000 m3) at 2000-4000
  mwe
• Proton decay
• Long-baseline neutrino physics (q13, masses, CP)
• - 3D time monitoring of deformation at space and
  time scale intermediate between bench-tops and
  tectonic plates.
• Very Large Block Experiments (100x100x100 m3)
  spanning the whole depth range
• HTCMB experiments under in situ conditions in
  pristine environment over multiple correlation
  lengths with mass and energy balance.
• See real-time interaction of HTCMB processes
  using geophysical and computational advances and
  MINEBACK to validate imaging.
• Perform sequestration studies and observe
  interaction with surface bio-, hydro- and
  atmosphere

27
Exciting Science and Engineering

• Compelling questions A snap shot
• Neutrinos, Dark Matter, Stability of Matter
• The Ever Changing Earth Fundamental Processes
  and Tectonics
• Transparent Earth, Mastery of the Rock, Resources
• The exploration of subsurface biosphere limits,
  metabolism, role in geological processes
• New questions on origins, evolution and
  biochemistry diversity
• Multidisciplinary
• Not just a juxtaposition for political
  convenience
• Clarity about differences e.g. earth scientists
  prefer variety of sites including hard rock and
  sedimentary if possible ? physicists
• Learning how to live together e.g. tracers in
  water used for exploratory drilling, rock
  deformation laboratories far from observatories
• Overlap of questions between fields and between
  fundamental and applied
• Multidisciplinary approaches e.g.
  geo-micro-biologists
• New Synergies
• Instrumentation of the rock prior to construction
  of physics cavities
• Low radioactivity methods, instrumentation, data
  acquisition
• Marvelous education and outreach opportunity
• Training of a new generation of multidiciplinary
  scientists and engineers

28
Science-Methods-Applications

• Overlap is testimony of the richness of the field
• Opportunity for multiple advocacy
• NSF-DOE- Congress - Industry
• Experts-other scientists- Public at large

29
International Aspects

• International Science and Engineering !
• Not only in physics and astronomy
• But also geo sciences (relationships with URL)
• geo-microbiology is a new frontier
• Strategic advantage of a U.S. DUSEL
• A premier facility on U.S. soil will
• more readily put U.S. teams at core of major
  projects
• attract the most exciting projects
• maximize impact on training of scientists and
  engineers public
• However we should check our intuition that there
  is enough demand
• DUSEL complementary to other major U.S.
  initiatives
• e.g. Earth-Scope, Secure Earth
• An existing infrastructure could be a major
  asset in competition for proton decay/neutrino
  detector
• At same time, considerable flexibility available
  in implementation
• To conform with evolution of science, budget
  realities, and international Mega-Science
  coordination
• Excavate as we go (? Gran Sasso)
• Single site or multiple sites (in which case
  common management)